The background for this application relates generally to the field of electro-acoustics and more specifically to an invention that is made of both an apparatus for detecting and amplifying sound and processes for enhancing verbal communications among meeting attendees and between meeting attendees and presenters. The opportunity arises out of meetings in the hospitality industry. Most meetings are presentation style with a presenter at the front of the room and an audience in a meeting space.
Many of these meetings and presentations involve a meal with a presenter addressing the entire group. The audience can be seated at round tables for food service and the presenter may be on a platform at one end of the room. This is a common and profitable arrangement for hotels, as they are often able to sell both the meeting room and food for the audience members.
There is a desire during these presentations to provide sound reinforcement so that the audience can hear the presenter and any program audio from video or other presentation materials. This can be provided by having the presenter either hold or wear a microphone that is connected to speakers. Additionally, there is a desire to accommodate questions, comments and statements from the audience after a presenter has concluded their discussion, in a way that can be heard by both the presenter and the audience. This can be accommodated by providing one or more microphones on stands in the audience area and requiring audience members to approach the microphones to ask their questions. Alternatively, wired or wireless portable microphones can be brought into the audience for questions to be asked so everyone can hear the questions or comments.
These microphones are connected to amplifiers and speakers in order to provide sound for the audience. Two of the typical ways this may be provided are by using a built-in sound system or by using portable speakers.
Currently, the highest level of spoken word intelligibility and sound quality is garnered though sound reinforcement systems having an array of ceiling speakers distributed throughout the listening area and properly installed, located and adjusted. Using this approach, an array of ceiling speakers can be installed flush, embedded into, or mounted on the surface of the ceiling. These can be connected to amplifiers either located nearby or in a central location. Input jacks can then be built into the walls around the periphery of the meeting space.
Portable speakers can typically be mounted on tripod stands and located at the front corners of the object wall or front of the room. The microphones can be connected to portable amplifiers, or the amplifiers may be built into the speakers. Cables can run from the amplifiers or microphones to the speakers.
Typical built-in hotel sound systems, however, lack the desired high quality sound transmission and intelligibility. Systems that are built-in to hotels when the hotels are constructed or renovated tend to be either low in quality or outdated, due to the difficulty and cost in updating the systems. Thus, it is often desired by meeting and presentation planners to avoid using the built-in systems of hotels.
Further, many hotels and conference centers rely on outside audio/visual rental companies to provide audio/visual services. These audio/visual companies often try to convince clients to use portable sound systems and equipment that is not built-in to the hotel. These systems often use portable speakers that are placed in the front of the room where the presentation is staged. However, using portable speakers in this fashion can result in a variety of problems or undesirable effects. For example, the portable speakers may not provide a high-quality listening experience for the audience members of a presentation. In these situations, the audience members seated nearest the speakers may be subjected to an uncomfortably high level of noise, while those seated in the rear may struggle to hear or understand the speaker due to a potentially low level of sound.
Additionally, portable speakers that face horizontally often project most of their sound energy against the walls and ceiling of the presentation room, energizing the reverberant spaces and thus reducing the intelligibility and quality of the words of the speaker due to the reverberation of the sound energy. This effect may further be exacerbated due to the acoustics of the meeting space.
Other problems caused by the use of traditional portable speakers for presentations include both safety and aesthetic dangers. Cables running to the portable speakers can create a tripping hazard for both presenters and guests. Further, the presenters and planners may not like the appearance of temporary, portable speakers in an otherwise aesthetically pleasing presentation environment.
Additional problems exist when there is a panel of presenters for a presentation. In these situations a variety of microphones need to be placed on a table on a dais so that each member of the panel may be heard by the audience without having to share a microphone or microphones. This set up may cause additional problems, such as difficulty in connecting a series of microphones to a speaker system and the large amount of wiring needed to support a variety of microphones.
Another problem that exists in present systems is the manner in which the system is controlled. Current systems may rely on a centralized or remote control unit. However, this control unit may not be configured to accept different microphone and speaker setups or may not be configured to provide an ideal output for different setups.
Further, with traditional presentation setups, there are typically only a few microphones that may be used by audience members to ask questions or make comments after the presenters have finished their discussions. This can be inconvenient as audience members may have to walk through tightly arranged tables and chairs or rows of chairs in order to reach one of the microphones. Additionally, these setups are typically not convenient for people with disabilities, who may require a significant amount of time or effort to reach the microphone. Additionally, people who feel uncomfortable when standing and speaking in front of a large audience may be discouraged from asking their question or proffering their comment.
Other systems that have been used in conference or presentation situations include pre-wired tables that include both microphones and speakers. These tables are manufactured to include a series of speakers and one or more microphones, allowing for each group of people at a table to set the volume of the presentation and allowing for them to speak through the speaker system through the embedded microphones. These pre-wired tables are, however, expensive to manufacture and frequently inadequate for presentation use. The pre-wired tables are difficult to move and store due to their size and weight. Additionally, the tables are not convenient for hotels to purchase because the weight of the tables and incorporated electrical equipment do not make them ideal for simpler functions, such as dinner parties that do not need communication or presentation systems.
Other systems that have been used in conference or presentation situations include wireless units that include both microphones and speakers. These are designed to serve one or at most two attendees and include a speaker and a microphone, allowing for one or two attendees to hear and speak. These wireless systems are generally too expensive to use in a hotel setting.
Yet other presentation systems rely on individualized headsets in order to convey a presenter's speech to individuals in the audience. Individual headsets may be worn by each member of an audience who seeks to hear the presentation and the volume on the headsets may be adjusted to an appropriate level. These headsets, however, are subjected to easy breakage from users dropping them, for example. Further, each person in attendance must be given a headset if they desire to adequately hear a presenter, thus there may be gridlock at entrances to the presentation or staff must be used to place headsets at each seat. Additionally, it may be difficult for the hotel or audio/visual company who owns the headsets to successfully recover all of the headsets following a presentation or conference. Finally, some users may find the headsets uncomfortable, awkward to wear or difficult to use and adjust. In addition, these devices typically do not have a way to encrypt the data that is being transmitted, thus the presenters do not have adequate control over how to disseminate their presentation material.
Still other systems utilize individualized badges or lapel microphones. These devices are typically battery-powered and wireless. However, these devices require both distribution to the users as well as user interaction, such as connecting the microphone to their clothing, which limits the effectiveness of the devices. Further, some of these devices require a user to wear a battery pack which may be cumbersome for a user to wear.